The good and the bad

Christmas this year was fantastic. I wasn't in the hospital (got out the day before last year) and I was feeling pretty good. We had a fun visit from family and spent Christmas Eve evening and Christmas Day dinner with my folks. All the gifts were a big hit and a wonderful time was had by all. The only ones slightly unhappy were Sonny and Wiska because they could smell Mom's beasties on us and they were mad because they didn't get to visit. Boy did we get the once over whenever we got home.

On a sad note, I found out today that a long time blogger friend has passed away. He had a number of health issues and suffered from depression, especially this time of year. It saddens me that he was so far away geographically. You like to think that you can do something to help. I'll be giving all friends and family that I see in the future an extra hug.

Some silly stuff based on fond childhood memories

For my fellow Canadians, I'm sure you remember the old Hinterland Who's Who short vignettes. For those of you who don't, I'll include a link to one so you get the idea.  They were shorts on wildlife to interest kids and adults in the environment. They had really distinctive theme music that they still use today. Anyway, here is one on the beaver.  I remember this one from when I was a kid. I recently saw a hilarious parody about spiders. Same music, similar narrator, extremely well done. I've seen it listed as Hinterland What's What also. It's a bit sick, but funny. I guess nothing is sacred, not even Environment Canada.

Doctors, Cesar, and food.

The next couple of weeks are going to be really busy. As per usual I will be having my regular endoscopy and dilation but now that I am back on warfarin it was going to be a bit of a pain. Luckily, the doc was agreeable and I don't have to take the yucky and painful shots before and after. I am simply stopping the dose for a while before, and then taking a bit extra for a few days after. No more bruising! Yeah!

Later this week Mom and a friend and I are going to see Cesar Milan. I can't wait. I missed him the last time he was here and I heard it was a great show. Not only does he know his dogs well, he is an excellent showman. And the day after that I am going to a wine and cheese party to celebrate some local artists and their work. Should be fun.

Next week I have two lunch dates with friends. It is so wonderful to be able to go out whenever I feel like and don't have to worry so much about conserving energy. Also, I'm going to 2 restaurants that I really like (one Vietnamese, one more pub style) so I'm looking forward to chowing down. Also next week I have another online writing workshop starting and I am sooo looking forward to it. I've been getting some writing done since the last one ended and this is more than I've done in a long time. One day you'll see me published.

Heavy Sigh

So far this week I've had blood clots, a trip to the ER because of them, a visit to Thrombosis that I thought I had gotten rid of as part of my repertoire, and a toothache. Bummer. The good news is that they believe I will only be on the warfarin for the short term. Also, they are going to get me out of that infernal injection routine that I always had to do when I had an endoscopy. I spent almost as much time injecting heparin as I did taking the warfarin. Due to my lack of body fat this involved a lot of pain, bruising, and of course flakey INR results. From now on I will only have to stop the warfarin 5 days before the procedure, test my INR, and then start back up again after. Glory! This is a prime example of how you can get what you want if you are simply polite to the docs and nurses and present a reasonable alternative (mine was some vitamin k before the procedure). I'm just happy they gave me an alternative to the sharp things.

The other good news about the tooth is that the dentist thinks it's just a small irritation and will go away within a couple of days. Let's hope that's all it is.

Dad's birthday carrot

Since his surgery for colon cancer, Dad has not been able to eat carrots the way he used to. It's always been one of his favorite foods. Yummy, crunchy, sweet, lo cal, lots of fiber - what's not to love? Anyway, I decided to give him a carrot for his 79th birthday today. It's made of marble cake and chocolate filling. Mom, Dad, and I won't be able to eat it all, so the leftovers are going to Balderson with him the next time he goes. Enjoy everyone. Happy Birthday Little Daddie.

Wiska is loud and weird

Wiska had elevated cardiac enzymes in August after routine bloodwork. We repeated the labs in early September to make sure there wasn't an error, and they were still quite high. So, as usual, off we went to the other end of the city to the specialty vet hospital and he had an echocardiogram. It turns out that he has trace mitral valve regurgitation (slight backwash on one side of his heart). Of course, not enough to explain the 4 out of 6 grade heart murmur (he's just loud I guess). And not enough to explain the elevated enzymes. Just weird to boot.  So the good news is that he doesn't need any meds, he just has to go back for a repeat test next year in case the regurgitation  progresses.

On a fun note too, happy birthday to me! I got wishes yesterday so I'm planning on trying to milk this for a week or so. What do you think? I have a cold, but basically still feel ok. A good thing.

My babies

I've been delinquent with my camera. I love taking photos but for the last year or two I haven't done much and haven't downloaded any either. So I finally got around to it today and here are a couple of cute photos of Sonny and Wiska. As you can see Sonny loves his toys, likes to sing, and doesn't mind being dressed up.

They are pretty happy right now. Because we had the deck done (that's another story) they are staying with "grandma". My aunt Marion is there too right now and they love her as well. So they are getting lots of cookies and pats.

One and a half feet cut off

So I took the plunge and cut my hair off. I didn't really want to, but it was so much work. I didn't realize how long it had gotten until I was in the chair at the hairdresser and it was a significant way down my arm. As with many women, I have a real emotional attachment to my long hair. On the plus side, my new "pixie" cut is cute, looks nice, and suits me.

On a positive and fun note, I have almost no appointments for the next  month. Just a couple here and there so I have no excuse not to write, and tidy, and do other stuff on my to-do list. I'm taking today off, but I'm a bit wonky. I had an endoscopy this morning and I'm still a bit drugged out. Not too sleepy, which is nice for a change, but feeling a bit weird though and not able to focus. That should clear up by tonight.

Sonny is doing quite well after his surgery. He had some benign tumors removed from his butt. I think I will start letting him sleep the night without his cone on his head. He has been really good about it. Much better than he has been in the past. Years ago he panicked and was a bit of a basket case. He's mellowed considerably.

An energy filled day

I had such a busy day and while I didn't tax my muscles too much (I'm still kind of weak) I was delighted that I had energy to do all kinds of stuff. I had a fuller day than I've had in a very long time. For starters I went to Tim's for my tea. Then for breakfast with Mom. I had a few problems with my stricture, but what I could eat of the omelet was yummy. Then I went for lunch with a friend and we had an excellent time. I got some good advice on the novel I'm working on. During the day too I worked on the small mountain of paperwork we've accumulated over the years that I've been ill. It's just piled up and I shredded 2 garbage bags worth of stuff. And then I helped prepare dinner. Talk about an action packed and productive day. Boy do I feel good. Hope anybody reading this feels as good too.

Surgery went well

So it's been two weeks since my enteric conversion of my new pancreas (hook up changed from the bladder to the bowel) and I am doing well. Things were a bit of a drag the day of the surgery though. I was supposed to go in at 10:15, but because the previous surgery was delayed I didn't get taken in until after 2 pm. Talk about a long wait for Mom, Dad and me. I was lucky though. I was getting a bear hug. What is that you ask? It's fantastic. When they had me change the gown was really weird. Huge and double layered. It turns out that there were pockets that a tube could be hooked up to and hot air blown in. For the first time in ages I was nice and toasty warm while waiting for something. In fact, I eventually became warm enough to turn off the air flow. Wow!

I was only in the hospital for a less than a week (out on the Thursday - in the previous Friday). The pain meds were fantastic. I barfed the first few days because of one of the meds but we turned that off fairly quickly. I had a new type of pain med where they had 2 small catheters inserted into my abdomen that delivered something like lidocaine to the incision. I didn't feel a thing.

The hospital food was fantastic too. They had room service if you can believe it. They had a menu and I called to order and the food was delivered within 45 minutes. Talk about amazing. And minimal waste too. They must be saving a lot of money that way. I shudder to think of all the hospital stuff that's arrived on my tray that's been thrown out over the years.

Basically at this point I am just waiting for the go ahead from the surgeon to go home. This will happen this coming Tuesday so hopefully will be home some time soon after. My labs are pretty good and it's nice to have normal bicarb without having to take a huge amount during the day and upsetting my stomach. All in all a good experience and I'm glad I did it.

Comicon

Comicon was a complete bust and I didn't get to see Shatner. It was a complete cluster****. We got there and the line up wrapped more than once around the building. There may have been a separate entrance for VIP passholders (we had those) but there was no signage. There was only the one entrance and when we finally got there after 40 minutes walking around the building (pretty proud of my stamina) the chick at the check in didn't know what to do with the VIP passes. She passed us on to a Klingon who talked our ear off for 10 minutes before sending us to the other end of the building to check in. Before he began chatting though he tried to send us back to the girl that had sent us to him. Then he suddenly remembered about the passes. Again, no signage. We got our passes, but someone didn't pass kindergarden math and didn't know how to count. No lanyards left to go with the pass. Then we were given a voucher for the free tshirt and tote bag and sent to room #4 (right  next door, yeah). Except there was a Q & A going on in there. They sent us, wait for it, to the other end of the building again to the general auditorium. We get in and again no signage. No one knows where to go to get the shirts and totes and I didn't have it in me to search every square foot of the multi thousand square foot trade show area.  We asked around, but no one (including other pass holders who did have lanyards) knew where to go. So we went back to the other end of the building to where Bill would be talking in an hour. Guess what? The room was closed and they were having us go (again) to the other end of the building to start a lineup there. Again, no people or signage anywhere in sight to say where to line up. At that point I hit my breaking point and we went home. At least I got my exercise. And I didn't get to see Bill. Bummer. I think one day we'll go to a real Comicon - one that has been organized before.

Sonny news

So it's excellent news about Sonny. On Tuesday he had his annual echocardiogram and as usual, it shows no progression of his heart disease. In fact, it is a little better than when he was first diagnosed. Yeah! So today he had a lump removed from his eye lid. It had to be done because if it got bigger it would scratch his cornea and affect his eyesight. He came through the surgery with flying colors and will be home soon. His Grandma is picking him up for me. I guess I should stop worrying about him (knock on wood). He is doing great.

Old Fashioned Low Carb

Last night Mom and I went to the annual Titanic dinner at the Casino du Lac Leamy. It was, as usual, fantastic. Much nicer even than other years. The entire staff of Le Baccara is in costume (officers uniforms complete with caps) and the place is decorated a la Titanic. They had a sugar model made that was beautifully lit too. Waves were painted on the windows and there were portholes placed everywhere as well.

The food was taken from recipe books from the time and used to inspire the menu. Unlike other years, there was some choice on the menu. It was fairly set, but there were choices for each course (6 of them). Duck  or stuffed partridge. Salmon or crustacean broth. Yum! There certainly weren't many carbs though other than the really delicious bread on the table. Even the butter was cut in the shape of the ships funnel. The dessert was an eclair again in the shape of the ship (with small chocolate funnels). The other really nice part was the old fashioned portion size. Just small amounts so you could eat from each course and not be stuffed to the gills

There was also a wine pairing that went with it, but neither Mom nor I could participate. Bummer. Other years there have been folks around that worked very hard to get their moneys worth out of the alcohol. Not this year though. It wasn't crowded (probably because it was the middle of the week) so the ambiance was great. I'm looking forward to next year. I haven't been in a couple of years but hope to make this a more regular event.

My portacath is in.

So this morning, for the third time in a week, I got up at an ungodly hour (5:30) and went to the hospital at the other end of town to get my portacath put in. It is very like the picc I've had for 18 months. It is an access that blood can be taken out of and can also be used to put in an IV. The advantage of it is that it is internal, unlike the picc. With the picc I had to wrap my arm in Saran wrap and tape it up. So I always needed help to shower. The port is completely internal and once the incision is healed I can hop in the shower any time I want. Yeah!

It was a pretty good experience overall. The  nurse who took care of me had put my picc in the last time and she remembered me too. There was also an orderly who is fantastic. This guy has worked so hard to learn all about what goes on in his department. His basic function is transport, but does some assistance to the nurses too. He knows all about the different accesses, how they are put in, and how folks do. I've spoken to him before and had him transport me and he is a wealth of information and comfort.

They had a bit of a problem getting it in (damage to my veins in my neck from dialysis lines in the past) but they did get it in on the correct (right) side although I do have holes in both sides of my neck right now. It hurts a bit, but  isn't too bad.  I'm not allowed to lift anything for about a week, so groceries are out right now again (small step backwards) but then I should be fit as a fiddle again. Relatively speaking.

My nephrologist is also going to get some of the nurses in his department trained to take blood from the port so that they can continue to take my blood monthly and I can just drop it off at the lab.  My neph is great and takes such good care of me making things as easy as possible.

So, as has been the case lately, things are looking up.

More good news

I got my lab results back the other day and most things are looking great. My a1c (an average blood glucose measure for the last 3 months) was 5%. This means an average blood sugar level of 5.4 mmol/l (97 mg/dl in US numbers). That's great considering what I'm eating these days. My creatinine is great too. This is a measure of kidney function and it is the lowest it's been almost since the transplant. Yippee!

My energy is getting a bit better too. I am more functional than I was and am able to carry stuff which makes the simple act of grocery shopping achievable now. You don't realize how pathetic you feel when you can't even unload your own groceries. But things are getting better. Now all I have to do is get through my root canal next week. Yucky.

A good news morning

This morning was full of good news. First off we took Wiska to the vet to have his stitches removed. Because he is so slim, the vet was soooooo happy to do the surgery. Apparently it only took about 15 minutes to do it. That explains why he was so alert the next day when I picked him up. Wiska was a bit shy with him at first after the stitches came out, but Dr. Bruce scratched him in just the right place and his hind leg started to kick. Talk about being a happy camper. I still have to feed him the wet dog food partially (smelly) until his throat is completely healed, but there is an end in sight to the stench. My blue boxes are filled with dog food cans.

In addition to that I heard from my nephrologist today and I will be getting my portacath at the beginning of April. This is an implanted device that will replace my external picc line. They will be able to give me drugs and take blood from this and I will be able to shower again without having to wrap my arm in Saran wrap and tape to keep the site dry. The port will go into my chest and there will be no risk of infection like with the picc. Yeah! Also this will be done at roughly the same time as I am getting an endoscopy so the shenanigans that I have to go through with my warfarin will only have to be the one time to cover the 2 procedures. It will mean extra injections of the substitute, but that will be all right.

On top of that while I am a bit sad that I may have a friend moving out of town, she is moving because she is in love and happy. So that's good news too. I'm just so happy when things go well for my friends.

All in all a good morning.

Shoe shopping - double the fun

So I went shoe shopping for the summer. I have to buy all new shoes and I'm kind of sad to say goodbye to some of my old favorites. I have to get new shoes because of the bypass I had on my leg last summer. The swelling has not gone down and unless I spend all my time lying on the couch, it's not likely to go down much more than it is now. Bummer. So basically, I have to buy 2 pairs of shoes to get one pair to wear. A size 6 for my "regular" foot and a size 8 to fit the overly swollen other foot. So I bought 4 pairs and am now set for the summer with sturdy walking sandals and some dressier stuff. I also bought a pair of black pumps that I will be able to wear year round. The lady that served me was fantastic. For the pumps she found that the shoe also came in wider widths so I got a size 6M and a size 7 1/2 D width. Much more comfortable and I'm less likely to trip over the toe too. Now all I have to do is buy a pair of running shoes. Pardon me, 2 pairs of running shoes. Oh well, it's only a small thing and there are worse things I could be going through.

Also, my PET scan (that I need for cardiac clearance for my pancreas surgery later this spring) went well. It only took them 3 tries to get the iv in. Too bad they couldn't use the picc, but because of the isotope they don't use them. All in the all the procedure went well and I got out in less than 2 hours. The nurses there are always fantastic. I love the heart institute.

Wiska is fine

Poor Wiska was diagnosed with laryngeal paralysis. I noticed that he had lost his voice. We thought at first that he had just barked himself hoarse at the kennel. No such luck. He just had  a surgery to tie part of is larynx back to keep it open. This will prevent him from choking to death if he gets an inflammation. He was a very good boy when Mom and I took him to the specialty clinic for his surgery. Lately he's been so afraid of going to the vet that he has pooped in the waiting room (clean up on aisle 3 lol). Poor guy. The vet called yesterday afternoon and he came through with flying colors. I probably won't see any difference in how he breathes, but this is because he wasn't having any problems before. I didn't want to wait for a crisis to have the surgery done. The surgery was actually easier than most because usually Dr. Bruce will have to do it on an obese labrador - which is difficult. Excess body fat is not one of Wiska's problems. I'm looking forward to picking him up today.

Anniversary

Between marriage and a lot of transplants, I have several anniversaries. Today is the 4 year anniversary of my pancreas transplant. It doesn't seem like that long at all. You'll hear about this again in April as that is the anniversary of when I stopped using insulin. Funny that the two dates are not the same. I think my center was being conservative and continued some insulin use to take the pressure off the new organ. So far so good and my new "baby" is still ticking along beautifully. Thanks again to my donor family. I think of you all the time.

Discovered a great restaurant

I was out with my Dad and someone else the other day and we went to the Urban Pear on Second at Bank. It was fantastic. I'm not one for going downtown a lot (I'm pretty content to be a west-end girl) but I'm definitely going to go back to this place. The food was fancy, but not overly done and extremely tasty. I had a pork dish with a potato pancake and some very yummy veggies. I would highly recommend this place:  http://theurbanpear.com/   Much of the food is locally sourced and very fresh. I just love discovering new places.the

On the medical front I am doing quite well. I've regained a lot of the weight I'd lost and I'm rebuilding strength by getting physio. It's slow, but my cardio is improving with the recumbent bike that Mike moved into the living room for me and my over all strength is increasing as well. I'm planning on having a follow up surgery on my new pancreas in the spring (most likely in mid May) and I'm sure I'm going to be in good shape for that if things keep on going the way they have been.

On a cheery note too, Mike and I won some hockey tickets in the Cheo lottery. I've been buying tickets for years and this was my year to win something nice. I've given some tickets away and it's been fun. I would have loved, of course, to win the dream home but let's not be greedy. lol